"It was imprudent of us, in the first place, to become authors. We could have become something regular, but we managed not to.
We were lucky, but we were also determined." Roy Blount Jr

"I don’t change the facts to enhance the drama. I think of it the other way round, the drama has got to fit the facts,
and it’s your job as a writer to find the shape in real life."
Hilary Mantel

Friday, May 30, 2008

Breakfast with Turtles

I returned to the Lodge at mid-week in order to carry out some official duties--attending a river flooding geomorphological study presentation (try saying that fast!) Wednesday evening. Yesterday I had a Fish & Game Performance Audit Subcommittee meeting. Everybody else at the Leg. Office Building was serving on one of the House and Senate conference committees.

It was a gorgeous day downtown, State House Plaza and Main Street were hopping. I saw people in shorts. Rugosa roses were blooming already at the corner of Bridge and Main.

The baby painted turtles I found in the garden back in April are still living in their aquarium. I've been waiting for the weather to be consistently warm before releasing them.

They seem quite content. Their large swimming pool contains fresh water from the little lake (their future habitat) and there's a play-yard with moss and earth. They spend most of their time in the water but are starting to bask on the rocks and climb into the yard.

For weeks their diet consisted of leaves and grass and whatever tiny organisms were floating in the water or living in the dirt. And earthworms I tossed in.

Today, while out in my garden doing some light weeding, I had an opportunity to hunt and gather protein.

I noticed some itty bitty green grasshoppers among the herbs, hopping over the lavender stalks, and in the oregano. I captured lots of them and--well, I won't reveal what I did next. Knowing that these young critters would grow into the giant green grasshoppers that chew up my roses, I showed them no mercy.

I delivered several carcasses to the aquarium, with the following results:

Turtle 1
Turtle 2


In my absence, the amaryllis sprouted a flower bud. It's shaped like a bishop's mitre. Highly appropriate, because the plant was a gift from our bishop. Not the present bishop, but his predecessor. It was a thank-you for serving on the Bishop Search and Nomination Committee.



I've had it for five years. It blooms only every other year, but now that I've repotted it, I'm hoping to see flowers on an annual basis.

Also in my absence, the little tree rose on the porch put out a flower.



Everything outdoors looks so lush and green and leafy, the roses are budding like mad. I honestly don't know how, because we've had virtually no rain all month. I think that's about to change soon. I desperately hope so!


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